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The courtroom remains open to the public upon presentation of a state ID card, which is retained by court authorities for the duration of the session, until all audience seats in the courtroom are filled. Few journalists and spectators showed up in court today.

ΙΙ. Presence and representation of the defendants

None of the defendants was present at the hearing, and most of them were represented by their counsels.

III. Conclusion of witness testimony of Efstathiou Antiochou

Examination by the defense counsels

Responding to questions by the defense counsels, the witness testified that his son, the victim of a beating, saw the faces of the three (3) persons that beat him up, but he doesn’t know their names nor is he in any position to know if the assailants are included in the group of sixty-eight (68) defendants in this trial. He also said that he doesn’t know if there was an order by or an implication of one of the leading members of Golden Dawn, only that, by his son’s admission, the assailants were Golden Dawners. This conclusion is further supported by the scene of the attack -a short distance from the local Golden Dawn offices- and their appearance.

The defense counsels proceeded with questions concerning the witness’s status as a counsel of Patras and an elected member of the Bar Association. The witness stated that he informed his Bar Association about the incident, but he doesn’t know if the Patras Bar Association has made any interventions concerning violent incidents. He went on to say that he went to the Patras Security Branch to testify and that Security notified the investigative judge. Responding to a question about why the complaint bears the date of the day following the attack, the witness responded that most probably they were asked to reserve their judgment and the complaint was date-stamped the following day for administrative reasons. Finally, he said that the investigative judge asked him about incidents that he knows of personally or in his capacity as a lawyer, and so he did not mention to her violent incidents that he had heard of in the media. He also said that he knows of Golden Dawn marches and violent incidents and of the stabbing of a Greek man in the city of Patras. The witness stated that after the stabbing, Golden Dawn came en masse to Patras on rented buses to express their support [:to the assailant].

Responding to questions by the presiding judge the witness testified that he is a student in Patras and a musician in a heavy metal band, and that no incident had taken place between him and Golden Dawn before the beating. He also said that he is not politically active. On August 7th, 2013, as he said, he was walking along Gounari St. when three people approached him from behind. They were wearing camo pants and Golden Dawn shirts, they asked him to stop, and one of them told him to sit down on the pavement. He sat down and the one in the middle asked for the witness’s ID card. When the witness said that he didn’t have it on him, the same person said, infuriated, “Just don’t make me mad now”, and it was then that all three started hitting him in the face and body. When they stopped hitting him, one of them said “The Nazis are in charge here now”, and they left. The assailants’ shirts were emblazoned on the back with the words “Golden Dawn”. Responding to a question by the presiding judge, the witness said that the one that asked for his ID card and told him “Just don’t make me mad now”, was the leader of the group. The attack was unprovoked, and the only explanation he can think of is his appearance, because he is dark-skinned, has long hair, and wears an earring. Responding to another question about incidents that he knows of, the victim mentioned an incident that happened to a friend of his, who was attacked by Golden Dawners, they broke his teeth, they threw him down and beat him severely in the head and body. His friend did not report the incident to the police because he was afraid, and asked of the witness to not mention his surname in court.

Examination by the defense counsels

Responding to questions by the defense counsels, the witness testified that even though he was passing often outside the Golden Dawn offices he had never noticed any violent incidents. Responding to another question, he said that he had seen many times before around Patras one of the three assailants. He never saw him again, but he could describe him in detail. The phrase “The Nazis are in charge here now” leads him to believe that the assailants had a Nazi and racist ideology. Responding to another question he stated that he doesn’t know if Golden Dawn shirts are worn by Golden Dawn members only, or if mere supporters wear them too. Finally, he said that he testified alone, without his father being present, and that he went in to testify after his father had finished his own testimony, despite the fact that the two testimonies are inscribed with the same time.

Responding to questions by the presiding judge, the witness stated in brief that on November 25th, 2012, he was on duty outside the Hotel Belvedere, to prevent a possible incident during a Golden Dawn event hosted in the hotel. They had taken security measures, because at the time of the event, an anarchist demonstration was slated to take place outside the hotel. A police force was deployed in the area and police buses were placed in the street in such a way as to obstruct the view between the two groups. The crowd of anarchists were shouting, were holding helmets and wooden beams, but were kept at a safe distance from the hotel, about 500 m away. There were no altercations. It should be noted that the Golden Dawn event featured the MPs Kasidiaris, Michos, and Barbarousis, who were protesting heatedly about the anarchist demonstration. MP Kasidiaris, especially, got very angry. The witness, after the protests by Kasidiaris, explained to the MP that the security measures were sufficient and that no incidents could take place. The witness said that Kasidiaris felt insulted by the mere fact of the demonstration, he became aggressive, and started protesting and shouting at the policemen. He was hurling insults and shouted that people would die. At some point he headed towards the assembled crowd, followed by two more MPs and a few of the party’s gathered supporters. The witness went on to say that they were forbidden to head towards the anarchists and they came back, or else people would have been wounded for sure. He also said that the behavior of MP Kasidiaris was such, that if he hadn’t been a member of parliament he would have been arrested, and that the MP has been indicted but the trial has been twice postponed. Finally, he said that there’s a video of the incident.

Examination by the civil action counsels

Responding to relevant questions, the witness stated that the exact words of Kasidiaris were “I’ll fuck them all up, you have my word that people will die before nightfall”. He was shouting to the witness and the rest of the police officers on duty. The witness went on to say that if they had let at that time the group of Kasidiaris, Michos, Barbarousis, and the rest of their supporters through the blockade and near the anarchists, it was nearly certain that fights would have broken out, and people would have been wounded. While the MP was protesting in such a way, the rest of the Golden Dawn supporters and MPs seemed to agree with him and follow his every move, and in a way he was urging the others to break through the police blockade.

At this point the presiding judge adjourned for Monday, April 10th, 2017, at 09:00, in the Women’s Wing of Korydallos Prison.